Remote control toy vehicle with driven jumper

Abstract

A vehicle includes cam structure mounted on the vehicle constructed and arranged to have a first at-rest position and a second lift-initiating position that causes the vehicle when moving to jump, and at least one motor mounted on the vehicle for driving the vehicle and actuating the cam structure from the first at-rest position to the second lift-initiating position.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A remote controlled toy vehicle system comprising: a remote transmitter controller for providing control signals,   a vehicle having front and rear wheels for normally rollably supporting said vehicle on a travel surface coextensive with a bottom plane tangential to the bottommost portions of said wheels, said vehicle including a receiver and decoder responsive to said control signals for providing decoded control signals,   cam structure mounted on said vehicle intermediate said front and rear wheels having at least one cam mounted on a cam axle constructed and arranged to have a first at-rest position with said cam entirely above said bottom plane and a second lift-initiating position with a significant portion of said cam below said bottom plane and said cam in contact with the travel surface with said front and rear wheels above and spaced from the travel surface and applying sufficient force to the travel surface to temporarily lift said front and rear wheels off the travel surface that causes said vehicle when moving to jump,   said vehicle having a source of electrical power, and,   at least one electrical motor mounted on said vehicle responsive to selected ones of said decoded control signals for receiving electrical power from said source of electrical power and actuating said cam structure from said first at-rest position to said second lift-initiating position.   
     
     
       2. The remote controlled toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein said cam structure further includes at least one rotatably supported idle wheel for contacting a travel surface when said cam is in said first at-rest position. 
     
     
       3. The remote controlled toy vehicle system of claim 1 further including a cam axle intercoupling said motor and said cam structure. 
     
     
       4. The remote controlled toy vehicle system of claim 3 further including a cam arm, said cam arm having a first end connected to said cam axle and a second end connected to said cam structure.   
     
     
       5. The remote controlled toy vehicle system of claim 4 wherein said cam structure is pivotally connected to said second end for free rotation about a second end axis. 
     
     
       6. The remote controlled toy vehicle system of claim 3 further including a spring coupled to said cam axle for normally holding said cam structure in said first at-rest position. 
     
     
       7. The remote controlled toy vehicle system of claim 6 further including stop bar structure limiting the range of angular displacement of said cam axle between first and second predetermined limit angles. 
     
     
       8. The remote controlled toy vehicle system of claim 4 further including stop bar structure limiting the range of angular displacement of said cam axle between first and second predetermined limit angles. 
     
     
       9. The remote controlled toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein said cam structure further includes circumferential strip structure for contacting a travel surface characterized by a coefficient of friction sufficiently high to prevent sliding movement between said travel surface and portions of said strip structure in contact therewith during rotation of said cam structure. 
     
     
       10. The remote controlled toy vehicle system of claim 1 wherein said cam structure includes a source of restoring force constructed and arranged to restore said cam structure to said at-rest position at the conclusion of a jump. 
     
     
       11. A remote controlled toy vehicle system in accordance with claim 1, and further comprising, at least a second electrical motor mounted on said vehicle responsive to selected ones of said decoded control signals for receiving electrical power from said source of said electrical power and driving said vehicle.   
     
     
       12. A toy vehicle comprising: cam structure mounted on said vehicle having front and rear wheels for normally rollably supporting said vehicle on a travel surface coextensive with a bottom plane tangential to the bottommost portions of said wheels, said vehicle constructed and arranged to have a first at-rest position with said cam entirely above said bottom plane and a second lift-initiating position with a significant portion of said cam below said bottom plane and said cam in contact with the travel surface with said front and rear wheels above and spaced from the travel surface and applying sufficient force to the travel surface to temporarily lift said front and rear wheels off the travel surface that causes said vehicle when moving to jump,   said vehicle having a source of electrical power, and   at least one electrical motor mounted on said vehicle intermediate said front and rear wheels having at least one cam mounted on a cam axle for receiving electrical power from said source of electrical power and actuating said cam structure from said first at-rest position to said second lift-initiating position.   
     
     
       13. The toy vehicle of claim 12 wherein said cam structure further includes at least one rotatably supported idle wheel for contacting a travel surface when said cam is in said first at-rest position. 
     
     
       14. The toy vehicle of claim 12 further including a cam axle intercoupling said motor and said cam structure. 
     
     
       15. The toy vehicle of claim 14 further including a cam arm, said cam arm having a first end connected to said cam axle and a second end connected to said cam structure.   
     
     
       16. The toy vehicle of claim 15 wherein said cam structure is pivotally connected to said second end for free rotation about a second end axis. 
     
     
       17. The toy vehicle of claim 14 further including a spring coupled to said cam axle for normally holding said cam structure in said first at-rest position. 
     
     
       18. The toy vehicle of claim 17 further including stop bar structure limiting the range of angular displacement of said cam axle between first and second predetermined limit angles. 
     
     
       19. The toy vehicle of claim 15 further including stop bar structure limiting the range of angular displacement of said cam axle between first and second predetermined limit angles. 
     
     
       20. The toy vehicle of claim 12 wherein said cam structure further includes circumferential strip structure for contacting a travel surface characterized by a coefficient of friction sufficiently high to prevent sliding movement between said travel surface and portions of said strip structure in contact therewith during rotation of said cam structure. 
     
     
       21. The toy vehicle of claim 12 wherein said cam structure includes a source of restoring force constructed and arranged to restore said cam structure to said at rest position at the conclusion of a jump. 
     
     
       22. The toy vehicle in accordance with claim 12, and further comprising, at least a second electrical motor mounted on said vehicle responsive to selected ones of said decoded control signals for receiving electrical power from said source of said electrical power and driving said vehicle.